The Thunder Rolls
by GreenMartini
Summary: Where is Wood? said Harry suddenly realizing that he wasn't there. :: Still in the showers. We think he's trying to drown himself. :: Just what exactly was Wood doing down in the showers that long?  cedxoliver don't like, please don't read


Title: The Thunder Rolls

Genre:Romance

Rating: T (for now...)

Warnings: YAOI (boy on boy lovings), honor the honor system people, if you hate it, stay away...honestly...

N/A: This story was written because 1. I was wored and 2. This part was left open in the book, it was asking for it.

* * *

This was it, one of the most important Quidditch matches of the entire year; oddly enough it was the very first one. Most people did not realize that the first Quidditch match of the season set the grounds for how the captain scheduled the rest of the year. The worst part of it was, for the unsuspecting Hufflepuff captain, his team's first match of the season would come sooner than the schedule originally stated it would be. The Hufflepuffs had Draco Malfoy to blame for that. Apparently his little mishap with the hippogriff left him unavailable to play the match today. That left Hufflepuff to be next in line for the match, which irked them because had any of their players been injured like that, they would have been told to find a replacement. 

The morning of the match, students' heads followed Wood's burly figure walk not to his House table, but rather walk around to the aisle between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Cedric knew exactly who he was headed for as soon as Wood bypassed the Gryffindor table and he kept his eyes glued to his breakfast plate. When he felt a hand on his right shoulder, Cedric's head popped up and he looked out of the corner of his left eye to watch Wood's lips barely move as they asked in a whisper, "could we go outside and talk?" Quickly, Cedric reverted his eyes back to his breakfast plate, then in a nervous jitter he looked up at the watching Gryffindors and upon finding their stares to be either glares or just curious expressions, he looked back down at his plate. "Ced, just for a minute," the soft voice asked, still by his ear. With a determined release of breath and a noticeable, nervous gulp, Cedric nodded and as Wood backed up, Cedric stood up and put his bag on his shoulder, being as he was not quite sure how long this chat would take, and followed him out of the Great Hall. As soon as he reached the double doors at the head of the Slytherin table, Oliver's back leading the way; an eruption of whispers broke out behind him.

Nothing was shared between the two as they made their way outside; save for the quiet breathing that was just a tad hitched in Cedric's case. Cedric did not know where they were headed to talk, but he was well aware that they had made it to a point of the grounds where he could clearly see the outline of the lake. Realizing that the humidity in the air what overwhelming, Cedric raised his hand and deftly hooked a finger into the knot in his tie and pulled it away from his neck. With a frustrated sigh, he undid the top two buttons of his shirt, wanting nothing more at the moment then to alleviate the heat that now seemed nothing short of excruciating.

When they reached the edge of the lake, Oliver sat down heavily on the grass where it met the stone and sand that was the result of the draught that they were going through all over Scotland. Cedric stood back a ways and just stood watching as Oliver splayed his legs out in front of him and he stretched his back out, lying on his elbows. Without warning, Wood flung his head back with a devious glint in his chocolate brown eyes as he asked "Are you just going to sit down or would you like me just to talk to you like this?"

Fighting back the blush he could feel coming, Cedric moved forward timidly and sat at what he thought was a safe distance away from Oliver. Cedric did not sit do that bodies were in line with each other but rather, he sat so that he was in line with Oliver's upper body to make it easier to talk to the older boy. Hi pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them with one arm while he played with the grass with his other hand. The results of the draught were ever more noticeable when sitting on the ground; the ground beneath him was hard as a rock and the grass felt stiff and dry beneath his traveling fingers. When Oliver started talking, Cedric brought his arm up to join his other in hugging his legs and he rested his left cheek against the flat of his knees as he watched the Gryffindor captain while he spoke.

"I never thought the day would come when something I was looking forward to would turn out to be a bad thing, let alone have it happen twice on the same day."

"Bewildered by Wood's cryptic statement, Cedric asked quietly as if he were embarrassed to do so, "What do you mean?"

"Well, the match was the first one that hit me. I mean no offense to you, or your team, but I really wasn't expecting to play you first. I was hoping we could just play Slytherin and be done with them for the year. And the second thing is something that we've all been waiting for, the rain. What gets me down though is that it had to wait until today, of all days to show up."

"How do you know it's going to show up?" Cedric asked curiously, there was no indication of wind in any way, the leaves on the trees were completely still, and the temperature seemed to be too consistent for anything like a rain storm to be headed their way. Cedric's eyes followed Wood's extended arm to where his finger pointed to the opposite side of the lake. The blue expanse of what most were promising to be a clear day, despite the heat, except now a flat grey cloud covered the expanse beyond the lake's edge.

"The tiny grey cloud is all that you're worried about?" Cedric asked simply.

"That 'tiny grey cloud' is a disaster waiting to happen. Mark my words, before the match starts we'll have a full on storm to deal with. It'll be Hell to go through," Oliver mused, more to himself than anything. "Good news is though, this damned heat and humidity will leave with it. But I'm not here to convince you what I think is going to happen weather-wise. No, I brought you out here because while I know you've been on the Quidditch team for a few years now, captaincy is something far different and is no walk in the park I can assure you. The team's expecting you to be their backbone and they're looking for you to make sure that the decisions you make will really help them."

"So you brought me out here to give me advice on how to be a 'perfect' captain?"

"Nobody's perfect, well, except my team that is." At the roll of Cedric's eyes and the shake of Cedric's head he laughed. "Learn to be cocky, boy. In fact, flaunt everything you have, merely because you can." After a quick side glance to Cedric he put his thumb in his mouth and bit down slightly. "Anyways, gentlemen's agreement between captains. Just in case the 'storm that we both know is coming' hits, it's most likely going to be nasty. Personally, I hope it doesn't come to this, but in case it does, I propose that if someone on either side falls, we call it quits and reschedule this thing."

"Agreed," Cedric said and he shook hands with wood, both captains sealing their team's fate.

* * *

"What was that you said earlier about the weather?" Cedric teased, though he really had to yell for Oliver to hear it over the deafening wind. 

"I don't think _nasty_ begins to cover this," Oliver responded, sniffling lightly as he looked over to see Madam Hooch approaching.

Cedric thought that Madam Hooch looked a little unperturbed by the weather as she took in the soaked forms of all fourteen players.

"As always, I want a clean match, and remember, even if you can't see me, I can see you," her menacing tone only adding to her hawk-like appearance. "Captains, shake hands!" Cedric and Oliver stepped forward and firmly grasped the other's hand. She walked up closer to where the two of them stood. "You two are in charge of maintaining some level of control over your teams, especially in weather like this, remember, anything bad happens, it only gets reflected on your captaincy." With a small smile to each boy she raised her voice again, "Mount your broomsticks!" the call was made and the two stepped back, soaring skyward and taking up their starting positions.

Cedric had trouble remembering most of the match. He could distinctly remember the cold and the rain. The chill from the storm froze him from the inside out, making his skin numb and threatening more than once to make him slide from his broom due to the torrent of shivers that racked his body. When the thunder ripped across the sky in harsh cracks, Cedric jumped in surprise. He was beginning to wonder if he was the only one afraid to play in this storm. The lightning was scaring him the most right now though. He was really beginning to dislike just how close he was to the bolts.

Luck was apparently against him during this match. Wood called a time out, that much he knew because of the mass of red huddled together on the ground. Lady Luck decided now was the perfect time to strike against him as a Bludger clipped him in the shoulder and jarred his body. On instinct, Cedric held his arm in the position that cause him the least pain, flush against his body, his forearm against his stomach and his hand clutching at his opposite side.

The Gryffindor team seemed to be done with their little chat and they seemed to be back in the air. Apparently no one noticed his injury, except for maybe one of his teammates who gave him an odd look as he shifted his shoulder slightly, trying to escape the pressure his shoulder guard was putting on it. Cedric completely lost track of time. He knew that it was steadily getting darker, and if he did not get the snitch soon, all hope was lost to the night. The pain in his shoulder was doing anything but decreasing. He needed to find the snitch now, or submit to the agreement that Wood and him made earlier, and he really did not want to be the one to do that.

Cedric snapped his head quickly to the right, ignoring the small amount on pain it brought to the top of his shoulder. There it was…the stupid little thing. Quickly, Cedric started after the Snitch, using both of his hands to put himself as close as he could to the broom handle. He saw the red blurry figure that was Harry pelting toward him. Quite honestly Cedric was far from worrying that Harry and him were set for a collision course; all that mattered now was getting the Snitch and finishing the match. Cedric deftly grabbed for the Snitch, though he was not quite sure if he had caught it, his skin was so numb. Raising his hand to his face he saw the little golden ball fluttering its wings in between his gloved fingers, desperate for escape. He heard the whistle and saw the Hufflepuff team celebrating. Quickly, the players scrambled to the ground, their feet making squelching noises in the thick mud that had formed underneath the blanket of green. Cedric felt ecstatic as his teammates came over to congratulate him and try to get him to join in their jumping and cheering at the fact that _they_ had been the ones to defeat Gryffindor.

All at once, Cedric felt the happiness leave him, something did not seem right as he saw Dumbledore walking onto the pitch at such a pace that he was certain no one had ever seen before. The Headmaster walked onto the field, and over to where the Gryffindor team stood. As his teammates stopped their cheering to ask him what was wrong, realization hit Cedric over the head like a brick. He did not remember passing Harry on their collision course. The figure lying on the ground in the middle must be Harry.

The next thing Cedric knew, his team was no longer around him as he stood staring at the limp body that Dumbledore was carrying off on a stretcher. When they made it off the field, the two teams split toward their respective locker rooms. As the spectators filed out of the stadium, the only ones that remained were Cedric and the pair of Hooch and Wood who were talking. Madam Hooch was gesturing sternly with her finger in front of Wood; it seemed as if she were trying to get her point across. Wood walked with his arms folded over his chest with his bottom lip being worried between his teeth as he nodded in agreement with what Hooch was saying. When they reached the entrance to the Gryffindor locker room, Madam Hooch gave Wood one last pat on the shoulder and sent him on his way then she made her way toward her own office.

"Mr. Diggory, the locker rooms are that way," she said, pointing towards the Hufflepuff locker room entrance as if Cedric had forgotten where it was. She did not spare him a second glance as she walked on.

_If someone on either side falls, we call it quits and reschedule this thing. _Wood and him had agreed on it earlier, Gryffindor deserved another chance at this match. "Madam Hooch!" he called, sprinting after her.

"Diggory?" she asked when he stopped next to her, panting.

"I want a rematch, is it possible?"

"It is, but Mr. Wood will have to agree upon it also."

"Okay, thanks," he said as he sprinted off, back towards the Gryffindor locker rooms.

Oliver seemed to be the only one in the locker rooms, if the sound of Quidditch items being thrown was anything to go off of. Tentatively Cedric walked in to see Oliver having what would most likely be called a tantrum. His Quidditch armor was thrown all about the room, mostly near the walls and his shirt was somewhere unknown. A rumble of thunder went overhead, reverberating off of the tiled walls and Oliver's eyes flashed dangerously. Looking back at the ceiling, he started to yell obscenities to it about how much he hated it because of what it did to his team. Ashamedly, Cedric started to back out of the locker room because he knew that every obscenity that came out of Oliver's mouth was directed toward him and his team, even though he was probably never meant to hear this colorful rant.

"What are you going here?!" Oliver's voice boomed against the walls just as the thunder had moments earlier.

"I came to ask you something," Cedric said in his usual, quiet voice.

Oliver took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down to avoid freaking out on Cedric. "Sorry, I yelled. Having…issues right now," he said with what could be either a small laugh or a choked sob.

"Don't worry about it."

"Oh, I will worry about it, that can't be helped. Back on topic, what's your question?" Oliver asked, his anger quickly ebbing.

"When do you want to have the rematch?"

"What rematch?"

"We agreed that if someone got injured we would reschedule," Cedric implored, trying to get Oliver to see his point.

"That was in place _during_ the match, not _afterward_. You got the Snitch before Harry fell, the match is yours."

"Why did Harry fall?" Cedric asked, surprised at the fact that he had not bothered to ask before hand.

"Dementors, a whole lot of them, came onto the field and apparently Harry's really susceptible to what they do and he ended up falling. Dumbledore used the Patronus charm to make them disappear just as the match ended. Apparently no one on your team noticed. In all fairness though, only the Weasley twins noticed it, they seem to see everything."

"But that's still not fair! Harry could have very well gotten the Snitch before me if the Dementors-" the rest of his sentence came out muffled due to the fact that Oliver decided the only effective way to silence Cedric was to put his lips to better use. Oliver broke the lip-lock he started and rested his forehead against Cedric's.

"No rematch. Repeat after me, _no rematch._"

"But-"

"No! You are ticking me off, boy," the seventh year said to the fifth year, using his hands to cup the sides of the younger boy's face. Cedric just stared at him and Oliver could fell the muscles in Cedric's jaw tensing in defiance at the fact that there was no rematch to be spoken of. "By the way, I've already told my team that you won and we were accepting it. If I hear you told them otherwise, I am coming after you." Oliver said with a smile.

Cedric huffed and used his hands to push Oliver's hands away from his face. Running his hands over his eyes he gave up the battle. No rematch, great, now his conscience would feel the guilt for days. He looked up to see Oliver watching him from the edge of the bench where Oliver had sat down, a scowl forming on the older boy's face.

"Stop it," Oliver stated firmly.

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything."

"You're plotting to use the guilt trip on me. I can assure you, I deal with the Slytherin's shit all day long, and I know that look well. Stop it."

"What are you going to do about it?" Cedric asked, his temper raising.

"This," Oliver said and grabbed Cedric's hand to pull him toward him. With a swift pull, Cedric's shirt was pulled from his pants and Oliver started placing light kisses on Cedric's stomach.

"You are so warm," Cedric said pushing against Oliver's head to try to get him to stay against his stomach. Cedric felt himself being pulled into Oliver's lap.

"Frisky tonight aren't we?" Oliver asked with a smile.

* * *

Ha, I cut it short, I know. But, I ran short on time and I have a friend to read it (Sky you will have to have the rest emailed to you later, I'm sorry...) Hope you enjoyed what's there, I'll probably post the rest as another chapter, if you even want it; review to let me know waht you thought or whether you want the rest. Thanks guys! 


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